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3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

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AIv C. DECKER. WIRE STRETGHER,

No. 288,166. Patented Nov. 6, 1888.

Samana N PETERS, Phnwuuwgnymr, wnhmgm. n. c.

(No Model.) a sheets-sheet 2.

A.C.DBCKER.

WIRE STRETGHEBI. No. 288.166. Patented Nov. 6,1883.

l' u l l, 113.3

UNITED STATES PATENT ALEXANDER G. DECKER, OF BUSHNELLILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES AYRES AND PETER AYRES, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

WIRE-STRETCHER.

SPEGIFICATIGN forming' part of Letters Patent No. 288,166, dated November 6, 18,83.

f Application filed February 13, 1SS`3. (No model.)

To mi!) whom t may concern,.- 1

Beit known that I, ALEXANDER C.v DECK; En, of Bushnell, in the county of McDonough and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in Vire Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.l

My invention relates'to Wirestretchers; and

yit consists in anovel construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully set forth, whereby the device is adaptedto beusedwithout liability of turning or swinging about the wire. 1 In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a perspective view of my improved device in its preferred. form in use as a Wire stretcher; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a perspective view ofaslightly-modt lied formof the device; Fig. 4, a perspective view, showing one manner of using the stretcher for lifting heavy weights;I Fig. 5, a similar view, showing another Way of using the stretcher for a like purpose; Fig. G, a perspective `iievv of the pa-Wl detached.

As commonly constructed, Wirestretcher's employing a Windingdrum are furnished With a crank for rotating said drum, and in using the stretchersthere is a constant tendency of the frame to turn over, which not only intel1- fetes' with the ready manipulation or use of the impiement, but causes the wire to be violently throi'vn about, to the manifest danger of the party using the device. Such devices do not permit the convenient application of as much power as is sometimes desirable, because of unsteadiness and tipping of the frame.

` The primary object of Vmy invention is to provide astretcher capable of use as astraining device, or for splicing Wires, or for lifting, in which the operative movements shall always be in the direction of kthe strain, so that there Vshall be no tendency to rock or tip.

I am aware that a sliding b'ar moving in a frame designed to be made fast to a post has before been operated by a lever and paWl, and also that a wire-stretcher having a rotary drum for Winding in a rope carrying a hook furnished with a Wire-clamp has had its crank loosely journaled upon the shaft or axle of such drum, and provided with a pawl toy engage with a ratchet on the drum, so that the crankmight be swung back and forth about the axle Without making a complete revolution around the same, and might thus rotate the drumfby a reciprocating motion of the crank. I desire here to say that such constructions are not included in my invention, which I will now proceed to explain in connection with the drawings, in Which'- A. represents a yoke or frame, in which is mounted a Winding drum or spool, B, either journaled in the frame or supported on an independent axle, and `the arms of the frame or yoke. This drum is provided or formed with aratchet, a.,

(which may be either atthe middle, as in Figs.

1, 2, and 5, or at the sides, as in Figs. 3 andc,

4the rst arrangement being preferred.

.D represents a rope attachedto drumB, and carrying `a hook, E, designed to be hooked around a post or over a beam or rafter, if the device is to be employed for lifting, the rope being. doublewhen the middle ratchet is used, and passing each side thereof, or single if the ratchet is placed' at the side, as Willbe readily understood by referring to the drawings.

The rope D is preferably attached to the drum by passingit through holes or perforations formed in the ratchet, ting it in any convenient manner, to prevent its detachment. used and carried on opposite sides of the middle ratchet, Lit Will be seen that the rope will draw and Wind equally on both sides of the` center, and thus avoid even the slight tend-` ency to draw to one side that might exist even with the construction of the frame here described.

F represents a hand-lever, the inner end of which is forked to straddle the yoke or framer C, passing through the druml Vhen the double rope is and tying or knot- IOO wire fencing or like work, the rope D is run each other and held ready for twisting to-s simply swinging lever F back and forth in the direction of the length of frame A the drum B will be rotated and caused to wind up the rope D. v The fframe A and the hook E are each furnished with `a wire-clamp, G, of usual conf struction-that is to say, consisting of an ecs centric-lever, d, pivoted to the body of the' hook or frame, and arranged to clamp the wire between its serrated eccentric face and a lip or rib, e, overhanging the eccentric, as shown in Figs.` 1 and 3. The spring-pawls b 'andcareconstructed, as v shown in Fig. 6, with two ears, f, through which the 'pivot-pin g passes, and between which the spring h is placed, one end of said spring being arranged to bear against-the pawl, and lthe other against the frame or'lever in which it is pivoted. i

The dey-ice being thus constructed, its operation is as follows: If it be desired merely to stretch -or strain the wire in lconstructingb off from drum B a proper length, -thehook E is engaged around a post, and the wire is clamped in the device G yof the frame A, all as indicated in Figs. land 3. The lever F is l then moved back and forth, yand the drum? thereby rotated until the'desired tension is secured, whereupon the wire is secured to the post in the usual way. If it be desired to: splice a broken wire, the operation will bethe j same, except that, instead of passing hook E around a post, one end of the broken wire will be secured in its clamp G, theother end being similarly secured in lthe clamp of frame A, i both being allowed to `extend beyond the f1 clamps sufficiently to afford facility for splicing. The rope being then wound up, as bei fore, the ends of the wire will be carri-ed past gether, which will be done in the ordinary manner. When -it is desired to lift a heavyf weight, the frame A may be suspended by a rope Vor otherwise from an overhead beam or support, and the hook E engaged with the article to be raised, the ropei-n all cases being properly runoff from the drum beforehand 5 or the hook may be engaged Iover a beam and the weight attached to the frame A, the two plans bei-n g respectively represented in Figs. 4 and 5.

It is particularly to be noted that in botli forms 'of my device the hand-lever is forked and has a bearing at each end of the windingdrum, so that any tendencyof the device to turn over with the wire as an axis of rotation is entirely overcome, the lever absolutely preventing such turning or rotation, and thus overcoming an objection which is at once the cause of delay .and source of great danger in using wire-stretchers not thus free from the difficulty mentioned.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- Q 1. In a wire-stretcher, the combinationof a frame provided with aclamp, a drum mounted y Iand arranged to rotate in saidframe and provided with a ratchet, a rope attached to the ydrum and provided with a hook, and a forked lever having abearing at each endof the drum, Vand provided with a pawl arranged, substantially as shown, to engage with the ratchet'of the drum. Y

2. 'Theherein-describedwire-stretcher,fconl fsisting of frame A; provided with a wire- 75 clamp and with a pawl, c, drum B, provided with ratchet a and with rope D, furnished ywith hook E, and having clamp G, and forked lever F, pivoted to the frame A at opposite ends of vthe drum, and provided with pawl b, 8o said parts being combined and-operating substantially as described.

3. rIhe herein-describedwire-stretcher, consisting of frame A, provided with a wireiclam'p and a pawl, c, drum B, having ratchet 85 fa at its middle, and provided-with double rope D, carrying hook E, provided with a wire-clamp, and forked lever F, provided with pawl b, said parts bei-ng constructed, combilled, and arranged to operate as explain-ed. 9o

ALEXANDER C. DECKER.

, PETER AYRns, iSoLoN BANFILL. 

